Fluid heater



June 24, 1930. D. s. JACOBUS FLUID HEATER Original Filed Nov. '7, 1922 4Sheets-Sheet l ATTORN EYS June 24, 1930. D. s. JAcoBus FLUID HEATEROriginal Filed Nov. 7. 192 4 Sheets-Sheet mm A INVENTOR W flaw 4.2L

ATTO RNEYJ June 24, 1930. D. s. JACOBUS FLUID HEATER 4 Sheets-SheetOriginal Filed Nov. '7, 1922 I mv NTOR M BY %,62+ M ATTORNEY I PatentedJune 24, 1930 I UNITED ,STATES PATENT OFFICE DAVID JACOBUS, OF JERSEYCITY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE BABCOCK & WIIQCOX COMPANY, 01EBAYONNE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY FLUID HEATER My presentinvention relates to structures for heating fluids, and particularlyadapted for use in steam boiler economizers or as a 1 generally downward,dlrectlon while the heater for fluids generally where usually noboiling takes place. i

My invention willv best be understood from the following descriptiomandthe annexed drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinalelevation of my invention, with part ot the flue wall removed; Fig. 2 isa front elevation with part of the flue wall removed, looking to theleft and with some of the tubes removed; Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig.1, with a part at the right-hand lower por- 5 tion; in section, and Fig.4 is similar to Fig.

1, showing a modification.

Like reference characters indicate like parts in the several views.

Referring to the arrangements shown in Figs, 1 and 3, I have illustratedtherein my formed in groups, the headers marked 11 being the lowermostof each group and the headers marked 12 being the uppermost. Each pairof headers 11 and 12 are connected by U-tubes which, in the formillustrated,

have respectively a large U and a small .U,

the tubes with the large U being marked 13 and the ones with the small Ubeing marked 14. The U-tubes extend horizontally and pass through avertical plate 15 and have i the ends adjacentthe bends supported bybars 16 extending acrossthe flue. The headers themselves arecarried as asingle pile by closing the spaces between them in the manner shown inFig. 1 at 30 and 31. Be-

cause of temperature diflerences between the adjacent headers ofadjacent pairs of headers, 'it is preferable in the arrangement shown inFigs. 1 and 4,- that the space between these headers be filled with anonconducting material, such as asbestos, 'as

shown at 30. The space between the headers in each pair may be closed byany material 31, either conducting or not, as desired, because thetemperature differences between these headers are small. Doors 17Application filed November 7, 1922, Serial No. 599,516. Renewed April23, 1929.

may be provided to give access to the hand-- hole openings in theheaders 11 and 12. In the form shown, the fluid flows in a gases flowupwardly through the flue 10'. As the fluid is heated, however, it isobvious that it .tends to flow upward, and I cause the fluid'to haveagenerally downward flow without opposing this tendency of the'hotterfluid to rise by connecting the headers so that the 'fluid will enter atthe header 11" from which it will flow through the U-tubes 13, 14 to thenext higher header 12. This header is connected with the next lowerheader 11 by a pipe 18, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Again, thefluid flows through the next-set of lower U-tubes 13, 14 and back I tothe header 12, from which it flows through the pipe 19 to the lowermostof the next lower pair of headers and so on successively through thepipes 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25, and finally out of the outlet header inthe upper header 12 of the lowermost pairof headers. Itwill be seen thatby this arrangement, the fluid is carried downward in a directionopposite tothat of the-flow of the gases, andtat the same time, as. the

fluid flows through each U-tube, it is'moving upward. In ,this way,- thecounterflow principle is preserved without attempting to force the fluidto flow in a direction op; posite to its. natural tendency to rise.

If the water is made to enter'at the top of the economizer, and thegases at the bottom so as to provide a. complete counterflow,

economizer instead of the top thereof, the.

chances of having a water hammer are avoided or at least minimized. Byplacing the connections alternately on opposite sides of the verticalline of the headers, as is shown in Fig. 1, I am-enabled to providethese connections on the same side of the flue 10 without interferingwith each other.

The headers may be supplied with blow-01f cocks 26 and the inlet header11 may be provided with Ts 27 provided with connections for reliefvalves.

With the arrangement shown, I provide for the dusting of the tubesbyinserting dust blowers transversely of the tubes and extendingthrough'the spaces between the legs of the U-tubes which spaces, it willbe seen, are wider than the spaces between any other of the groups oftubes. By staggering the blowers, as shown best in Fig. 1, the entiresurface of the tubes may be reached by comparatively few blowers. Theseblowers are marked 28 and have the usual outside connections, as shownin Fig. 2, by which the blowers may be rotated.

In order to support the tubes, I may provide a plate 15 extending acrossthe flue 10 with holes therein through which the tubes pass. Preferably,this plate 15 is located sutficiently far from the bends of the tubes.

so that the tubes may be withdrawn to the right as viewed in Fig. 1 whenthe arrangement which I prefer is used. As will be seen by an inspectionof the tube holes in Fig. 2, the holes for the tubes 14 are staggered inrelation to the holes for the tubes 13. Therefore, the tubes 14 not onlyhe inside of the tubes 13 when viewed in Fig. 1, but also fill the spacebetween the tubes 13 when viewed from the end. This arrangement gives astaggered relation so that the heat transfer is improved. Since,however, the tubes 13 are so close together that the space between themis less than the outside diameter of the tubes 14, it would beimpossible to remove or insert a new tube 14 without cutting out andremoving a number of the tubes 13 adjacent the space where-the new tube14 is to be replaced if the tubes were held rigidly laterally. Byarranging the supporting plate 1 5, far enough back from the-bends'atthe ends of the tubes and also by providing the supports 16 so that thetubes can be moved laterally, it is possible to bend a. pair of tubes 13away from each other at the bends in order to provide a space wideenough for the removal of one of the tubes 14 with the small Us.

The arrangement shown in Fig. 4 is similar to that just described,except that by spacing the headers 11 and 12 further apart relatively, Imay use a U-tube, the legs of which have a V relation 50 that both legsof I the tubes are sloping in relation to the horizontal. Any steam orgases which may be generated in such tubes will, therefore, flow upwardto the next header.

I claim 1. In a fluid heater, a vertical flue, a plurality of parallelheaders arranged in pairs and extending across the flue at one sidethereof and one above another, U-tubes connecting the members of eachpair of adjacent headers and extending across'the flue, a fluid inlet inthe header next to the top header and a fluid outlet in the headernextt0 the bottom header, and connections between the headers arranged toconnect the lower one of a pairof headers with the upper .inlet in theheader next to the top header and a fluid outlet in the header .next to.the bottom header, and connections between the headers arranged toconnect both ends of the lowerone of a pair of headers with both ends ofthe upper one of the-next upper adjacent pair of headers.

3. In a fluid heater, a vertical flue, a plurality of headers arrangedin pairs and extending across the flue at one side thereof and one aboveanother, each header having an' end projecting-through a side wall ofthe flue, U-tubes connecting the members of each pair of adjacentheaders and extending across the flue, a fluid inlet in the head; ernext to the top header and a fluid outlet in the header next to thebottom header, and connections between the headers arranged to connectthe lower one of a pair of headers with the upper one of the next upperadjacent pair of headers, said connections being located in the ends ofthe headers outside the flue.

4. In a fluid heater, a vertical flue, a plurality of parallel headersarranged in pairs and extending across the flue at one side thereof andone above another, U-tubes connecting the members of each pair ofadjacent headers and extending across the flue, the tubes connecting themembers. of each air of headers having alternately large and small =Us,the tubes with the small Us being out of vertical alinement with thetubes with the large Us, a fluid inlet in the header next to the topheader and a fluid outlet in the header next to the bottom header, andconnections between the headers arranged to connect the lower one of apair of headers with the upper one of the next upper adjacent pair ofheaders.

5. In a fluid heater, a vertical flue, a plurality of parallel headersarranged in pairs and extending across the flue at one side thereof andone above another, U-tubes connecting the members of each pair ofadjacent headers and extending across the than the diameter of thetubeswith the small Us, a fluid inlet in the header next to the top headerand 'a fluid outlet in the header next to the bottom header, and'connections between the headers arranged to connect the lower one of apair of headers with the upper one of the next upper adjacent pair ofheaders.

6. In a fluid heater, a vertical flue, a. plurality of parallel headersarranged in pairs and extending across the flue at one side thereof andone above another, and U-tubes connecting the members of each pair ofadjacent headers and extending across the flue, the tubes connecting themembers of each pairof headers having alternately large and small Us,the tubes with the small Us being out of vertical itjlinement with thetub eswith the large 7. In a fluid heater, a vertical flue, a pluralityof parallel headers arranged in pairs and extending across the flue atonev side thereof and one above another, and U-tubes connecting themembers of each pair of adjacent headers and extending across the flue,the tubes connecting the. members of each pair of headers havingalternately large and small lUs, thetubes with the small Us being out ofvertical alinement with the tubes with the large-Us and the spacebetween the sides of each pair of adjacent tubes with-the large US beingless than the diameter of the tubes with the small Us. I

8.- In a fluid heater, a vertical flue, a

plurality of parallel headers arranged in pairs and extending across theflue at one side thereof and one above another, U-tubes connecting themembers of each pair of adjacent headersand extending across the flue,the tubes connecting the members of each pair of headers havingalternately large and small Us, the tubes with the small Us being out ofvertical alinement with the tubes with the lar e Us and the spacebetween the sides 0 each pair of adjacent tubes with the large US beingless than the diameter of the tubes with the small Us, and supports forsaid U-tubes arranged to permit a pair of adjacent-tubes with thelargeUs to be sprung laterally to permit the withdrawal longitudinally of atube with the small U.-

9. In a fluid heater, a vertical flue, a plurality of parallel headersarranged in pairs and extending across the flue atdone side thereof andone above another, 'U-tubes connecting the members of each pair ofadjacent headers and extending across the flue, the tubes connecting themembers of each pair of headers having alternately large and small Us,the tubes with the small Us being out of vertical. alinement" with thetubes with the large Us, and the space between the sides of each pair ofadjacent tubes with the large Us being less than the diameter of thetubes with the small Us,

and a supporting plate through which each 1 of the 'U-tubes passes, saidplate being lo-. cated a sufficient distance from the bends of theU-tubes to permit a pair of adjacent tubes with the large Us to besprung laterally to permit the withdrawal longitudinally of a tube withthe small -U.

10. In a fluid heater, a vertical flue, a plurality of parallel headersarranged in pairs and extending across the flue at one side thereof andone above another, U-tubes, connecting the members of each pair ofadja-' cent headers and extending across the flue, a fluid inlet in theheader next to the top header and a fluid outlet in the header next tothe bottom header, and connections be- "tween the headers arrangedtojconnect the lower one of a pair of headers with the upper one of thenext upper adjacent pair of headers, the adjacent headers of adjacent fpairs having non-conducting material therebetween, the headersand thematerial therebetween being supported as a sin le pile.

11. In a fluid heater, a vertical ue, a plu; rality of parallel headersarranged in pairs and extending across the flue at one side thereof andone above another, adjacent headers being spaced apart, U-tubesconnecting the members of each pair of adjacent headers and extendingacross the flue, a fluid inlet in the header next to the top header anda fluid outlet in the header next to the bottom header, and connectionsbetween the headers arranged to connect the lower one of a pair ofheaders with the upper one of the next upper adjacent pair of headers,the spaces between adjacent headers being filled and the fillingmaterial between adjacent headers of adjacent pairs be ingnon-conducting, the headers and the material therebetween beingsupported as a single pile. 1 Y

12. In combination, a flue, a fluid heater located in said flue andcomprising a plurality of rows of U-tubes dividedmto sections andarranged one row above the other with the tubes extending across saidflue,

and means comprising suitable connections for causing the fluid to flowin a generally upward direction in individual sections and downwardlyfrom section to section.

13. In combination, a flue having a portion through which the gases flowupwardly,

a fluid heater located in said flue and comv prising a plurality ofrows. of U-tubes dividedinto sections and arranged one row above theother with the tubes extending across said flue, connections for;conducting fluid to the ends of the tubes of the lowermost row of theuppermost section and for conducting fluid from the ends of the tubes ofthe uppermost row of the lowermost section, connections between the endsof the tubes of the uppermost row of each section except the bottom oneand the lowermost row of the next lower section, the fluid flowingupwardly through individual sections and downwardly from section tosection.

14:. In combination, a flue having a portion'through which the gasesflow upwardly, a fluid heater located in said flue and comprising aplurality of rows of U-tubes divided into sections and arranged one rowabove the other with the tubes "extending across said flue andu'niformlyspaced, connections for conducting fluid to the ends of thetubes of the lowermost row of the upper,- most section and forconducting fluid from the ends of the tubes of the uppermost row of thelowermost section, connections between the ends of the tubes of theuppermost row of each section except the bottom one and the lowermostrow of the next lower section, the fluid flowing upwardly throughindividual sections and downward- I Iy from section to section.

DAVID S J ACOBUS.

